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Fire-Damaged Wan Hai 503 is Being Towed to the Middle East

fire-damaged containership
Picture from mid-July showing the condition of the hulk after the fire (Indian DGS)

Published Aug 26, 2025 12:30 PM by The Maritime Executive


The fire-damaged containership Wan Hai 503 is going to be towed to the Middle East as the shipping company continues to search for a port of refuge. The vessel has been at sea for 11 weeks (a total of 78 days) since the fire began while it was off the coast of India. 

Wan Hai released the update saying the tow is underway toward the Middle East, but the final port of refuge is still under consideration. The move toward the Middle East came after Sri Lanka rejected an application for the vessel to be berthed, while India had, shortly after the fire began, ordered its ports not to accept the vessel. The crew reported that the ship experienced an explosion and subsequent fire while sailing from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Nhava Sheva, India on June 9. At the time it was approximately 50 nautical miles off the coast of India.

“At present, the vessel’s stability, structural integrity, and draft—together with the route assessed using weather-routing software—meet the requirements for safe towing,” reports Wan Hai. The shipping company working with the appointed salvage company said the process will be closely monitored to ensure a safe and smooth arrival at the designated port of refuge.

Last week, Hapag-Lloyd, which had cargo aboard the ship, gave an update putting its position approximately 177 nautical miles from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and close to the Indian EEZ boundary. India, in late June, had ordered the salvage tugs to pull the ship out of its EEZ, where the ship had remained for more than eight weeks while salvage efforts proceeded. 

For the past few weeks, the salvage reports have indicated that there were no visible flames or signs of fire, although one hold continued to show minor signs of smoldering. Temperatures have also been lowered aboard the ship. Salvors were able to board the ship and undertook the efforts to dewater the holds and engine room.

While the danger seems minimal at this point, they have struggled to find a port of refuge. Reports said they were looking to the east, working with Singapore Maritime & Ports Authority as the flag state for the ship.

The ship instead is going to be towed approximately 1,800 nautical miles crossing the Arabian Sea. Last year, the Maersk Frankfurt, which also suffered a significant container fire off the coast of India, also ended up making the trip to Khor Fakkan in the UAE before a port of refuge could be settled. However, in that case, the ship had not been abandoned and was traveling under its own power.

The UAE has large, deep-water ports that can serve as a refuge. It also has the container handling capabilities to clear the debris from the vessel.

The last pictures, which came from the Indian Directorate General of Shipping in mid-July, showed that after the fire was extinguished, nearly everything on the forward two-thirds of the ship in front of the deck house and bridge had been damaged. A few containers on the stern appear to have been blocked from the fire by the deckhouse. The vessel also appeared to be on an even keel and higher in the water after the dewatering efforts.